The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to a piston and a connecting rod construction for use in an internal combustion engine.
According to a piston and connecting rod construction disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4(1992)-112953, an oscillating center of a connecting rod with respect to a crown portion of a piston moves considerably closer to a crown surface of the piston than was the case with prior constructions. Accordingly, the length of an arm of a crank shaft and that of the connecting rod can be lengthened by an amount that provides an oscillating center of the connecting rod closer to the crown surface of the piston. Consequently, without changing dimensions of cylinder block displacement increases are obtained in power output of the engine.
However, the aforementioned piston and connecting rod construction establishes a configuration in which the piston may move slightly toward a small end portion of the connecting rod in a direction of a crank shaft but may not be rotated about the center axis of the piston. These factors complicate assembly and disassembly of the piston and connecting rod. Further, since clearance between a a constituent slide member and a small end portion of the connecting rod varies with the degree of tightening of an annular retainer threadedly fitted into a skirt portion of the piston, proper fastening of the components is very tedious.
The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a piston and a connecting rod construction which is simple to assemble.